Dahi Pohe (दही पोहे) (Flattened rice with curd)

Thick Flattened Rice

We have a saying, if someone offers you poha (any flattened rice dish), you never say no to it. At least eat a spoonful of it. It has relevance of Shree Krisha and his friend Sudama’s friendship story from Hindu Mythology. Stories apart Poha (flattened rice) is staple food in any Maharashtrian household. Be it, kanda pohe, dadape pohe or dahi pohe. Dahi pohe is also called gopal kala, as it is also specially made at the time of Shree Krishn Janamashtami. It is quite similar to curd rice but is a little different. It is filling and easy to make. It can be a breakfast, snack or light dinner as well.

We get 2 different types of poha thick(Jad-जाड) and thin(Patal-पातळ). For dahi pohe we need thick variety.

Ingredients

Jad Pohe - 1 Cup
Curd - ½ Cup
Milk - 2-3 tbsp as needed

Bharali Mirachi

Ghee for tadka - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 3-4
Bharali mirachi - 1-2 (this is specially stuffed and dried chilli, you can use regular green chilli if you don’t have this)
Salt to taste
Coarsely ground peanut powder (I learned this trick - adding peanut powder from one of my friend)
Fresh coriander to garnish

Recipe

1. Soak poha in water for just a couple of minutes and immediately drain the water from it.
2. Now add salt, peanut powder (if using) and mix it really well
3. Prepare tadaka with ghee, add jeera when ghee is hot enough. Once jeera starts crackling add chillies, curry leaves to it.
4. Now add the tadaka to poha mixture. Let it cool and then add curd and start mixing everything. Add little milk to adjust the consistency. Garnish with cilantro and dahi pohe are ready to serve.

Note

I also use tsp of metkut powder (special maharashtrian mixture, made up of different dals, wheat, rice and spices). It gives really nice flavour and aroma to poha

Bharali Vaangi (भरली वांगी) (Maharashtrian style stuffed eggplants)

Here is an easy-to-make yet delicious, recipe of a special maharashtrian dish. This is a staple dish back in my hometown where we get a really flavorful variety of eggplants known as “Krishna kathachi vangi” (Eggplants grown on banks of Krishna river). Sometimes I love to use the frozen small brinjals that we get in Indian grocery shops. I find them really close to the ones we get back home. I have used goda masala here which is the traditional maharashtrian masala, but you can substitute it with garam masala.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Vangi/Brinjal/Eggplants - 5-6 medium size
• Onion - 1 small onion finely chopped
• Garlic - 3-4 small cloves of garlic finely chopped/grated
• Roasted peanuts ground coarsely - ¼ cup
• Fresh coconut - ¼ cup
• Fresh coriander finely chopped
• Goda masala - 1 tbsp (If you don’t have it, you can substitute with garam masala)
• Jaggery - 2 tsp 
• Chili powder - 1 tbsp (use more or less according to taste)
• Salt to taste

Recipe

• Wash and slit brinjals into 4 parts without breaking them apart.
• Put them in the water until your masala is ready to stuff them.
• Now mix onions, garlic, peanut powder, fresh coconut with jaggery, chilli powder and salt.
• Mix the masala really well. You can taste it and adjust the spice and salt accordingly before stuffing eggplants.
• Now stuff the eggplants with prepared masala.
• In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil and make the tadaka with mustard seeds. 
• Add hing and turmeric once mustard seeds start crackling.
• Now add stuffed eggplants and stir them for a minute or two.
• Now add remaining masala to it and mix it with eggplants.
• Add little water, just enough to cook the brinjals.
• Cover it with a lid and cook on low flame until brinjals are cooked.
• Garnish with coriander and fresh coconut and serve hot with roti or bhakri.

Note
If you are using frozen eggplants like I said before, then simply mix those eggplant with masala and add everything into tadaka.
Add a tsp of byadagi chili powder or kashimiri chili powder in the tadka for reddish color gravy